Non-destructive testing such as ultrasonic testing and the like may be used to inspect various types of materials and components. Specifically, ultrasonic testing is a suitable method for finding internal anomalies and/or certain types of material characteristics in most types of sound conducting materials. Such sound conducting materials include most metals and other types of substantially rigid materials. Generally described, an ultrasonic probe detects anomalies or other characteristics upon changes in the reflection of sound waves on a boundary surface of the component or the anomaly. Ultrasonic testing has the advantage of detecting such internal characteristics with a generally high degree of accuracy.
Data generated by ultrasonic testing may be presented in a number of different formats. For example, the scan data may be presented as an A-scan (energy received as a function of time), a B-scan (cross-sectional view), a C-scan (plan view), an S-scan (sectional view), and the like. A one-dimensional or two-dimensional ultrasonic probe may generate the scans. A number of the individual scans may be combined so as to generate three-dimensional views.
As opposed to similar types of ultrasonic devices used in the healthcare field, non-destructive testing tools used in, for example, the oil and gas industry and the like, may be relatively small, handheld, and battery driven. Moreover, such non-destructive testing tools generally need to last in the field for at least a complete shift (about 8 hours or more) without recharging. Generating three-dimensional views, however, requires significant memory and computational power.
There is, thus, a desire for improved systems and methods of non-destructive testing such as ultrasonic testing and the like. Such improved systems and methods may present ultrasonic and other types of non-destructive testing data in a useful and efficient fashion while requiring less computational resources.